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A Broken Heart Is More Likely To Suffer A Heart Attack

January 5, 2016

Written byCuriosity Staff

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The day after the death of a loved one, your risk of heart attack skyrockets to an incredible 21 times higher than normal. And while those chances decrease on day two, for a week after a loved one's death the odds are still about six times what they otherwise would be. And this doesn't take into account the risk of broken heart syndrome, or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which is different from a heart attack but can feel similar. Broken heart syndrome is a temporary (and usually non-fatal) weakening in the muscles of the heart that can cause congestive heart failure, usually brought on by grief or stress.

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